The art and
skill of creating the ‘subtelties’ which played a hugely important role in the
great feasts of medieval times has never really, truly died out – or at least,
the wish for them has not, even if the realization of the concept is a rare
event nowadays. There was a resurgence of the idea during the so-called ‘freak dinners’
of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These were events held by
the obscenely wealthy and terminally bored citizens whose main pre-occupation,
it seems, was the search for ‘novelty’ to impress their obscenely wealthy and
terminally bored friends.
There are
some fine examples of outlandish theme dinners in the chapter entitled Fantasies of Party Givers in The Steward's Handbook and Guide to Party
Catering (Chicago, 6e. 1903). I give you a short piece from the book about a
reception held by the extremely wealthy Gilded-Age New York matron, Mrs.
Vanderbilt. I think the dishes described could qualify as subtelties. Do you
agree?
DECORATED DISHES AT MRS.
VANDERBILT'S RECEPTION.
“One piece was a game pie of
pheasants, the pie resting on a flat surface of wax, the entire piece upheld
with deer's antlers. The sides of the pie were trimmed with quails. Underneath
were two rabbits playing cards, while to the side of the players was a bridge, under
which gleamed a lake of water with goldfish swimming about.
“Another was a fruit dish in wax,
in which were placed imitation eggs and potted reed birds.
“Another piece was a fillet of
beef, with a garniture of vegetables of all kinds resting on the shoulders of a
Hercules; on either side were placed some cupids, the figures being of wax and
very cleverly executed.
“One of the most artistic pieces
was a two-foot salmon, resting in a wax boat, while on the back of the fish sat
a cupid; the boat was supported by a Neptune at each end, seated in sea shells
and driving sea horses before them in a lake of real water in which fish were
swimming around.
“A fine piece was a flying
Mercury poised upon a ham, the ham being finely ornamented with a delicate
tracing of truffles.
“About midnight the following
artistic supper was served:"
MENU DU
SOUPER.
Consommé
en tasse Huitres à
la poulette
Croquettes
de volaille Bouchées à
la reine
Terrapin à
la Maryland Canvas-back
duck
Galatine
de chapon
Filet de
boeuf , jardinière
Aspic de
foie-gras, belle vue
Chaudfroid
de mauviettes Pâte de gibier,
chasseur
Pâte de
Strasbourg, naturel
Saumon à
la Vatel Jambon
à la gelée
Salade de
poulet Salade
de homard
Volière
de cailles Sandwiches
varies
Charlotte
moderne
Gelée
macedoine aux fruits Glacés
assorties
I chose
it because although quail (caille) is
one of my favourite foods, I rarely seem to feature it!
Cailles au Riz.
To
return to my list of specialties of Parisian restaurants, I would advise all
diners who visit Laperouse's house on the Quai des Grands Augustine during the
autumn months to order, whether it be on the daily menu or not, a dish of cailles au riz, sometimes called cailles a la Duchesse. To prepare them
at home proceed as follows: Clean and scorch 12 fat quails, putting their livers
back; put them into a pan with some lard and about ½ Lb. of salt pork (petit sale) cut into little dice. Brown
rapidly by tossing them in the pan over a brisk fire; when three-quarters
cooked, pour over 2 glasses of good bouillon, add a bouquet of parsley, a leaf
of laurel, a clove of saffron, and some cayenne-pepper. Let the liquor reach
boiling point three or four times, and then pour into it ¾ Lb. of picked rice which
has been previously washed with care. Three minutes later cover up the pan, and
allow the rice to cook over a slow fire. When this has taken place, take out
the bouquet of parsley, and serve the rice on a plate, surrounded by the birds.
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